Life Happens

I hear that a lot these days. Life happens. It usually means that something has gotten in the way of what we want to do. Life happens, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I recently fished my poetry journal out of a moving box (we're trying to sell our house) and found a poem written 4/22/10. I want to share it with anyone out there. I hope to post more poems as I go along. Anyway, here's the poem.

      Life happens

The unexpected

       the hurtful

            the serendipitous

Interruptions that aggravate

       surprise

             please

                  crush

Life happens

      Bring it on!

Please feel free to share some of your poetry on this blog. I would love to see it.

Connotation Counts

When I taught elementary school children writing skills, I told them that there is a difference between denotation and connotation. Denotation is the basic definition of a word while connotation is the color, or nuance, of a word. (Being fond of mnemonic devices, I told them D: denotation/definition; C: connotation/color.) Unfortunately, an over-use of thesauri has contributed to widespread misuse of words. Just because a word means the same as another doesn't mean it should be used interchangeably.

For example, look up "smell (n)" in your thesaurus. You will find, among others, the words fragrance, aroma, stink, and stench. If you were to best match them to the words "bubbling stew", "rotting carcass", "fresh roses", and "dirty socks", you should come up with something like "the fragrance of fresh roses", "the aroma of bubbling stew", "the stink of dirty socks", and "the stench of a rotting carcass".

A dictionary can help some. For instance, dictionary.com defines fragrance as "a sweet or pleasing scent" and aroma as "a distinctive usually pleasant smell, esp of spices, wines, and plants". However, they define stink as "a strong offensive smell; stench" and stench as "an offensive smell or odor; stink". Stench usually connotes a stronger smell than a stink while evoking a much stronger reaction.

So how does a writer learn the nuances of language? Read, read, and read some more. Not just pop literature. There's nothing wrong with it and it has its place, but find quality literature, or, better yet, quality poetry. The nature of poetry demands a knowledge of the subtleties of words. The poet must be succinct in order to express thoughts and evoke emotion with an economy of words.

I hold that there is a difference between a writer and a wordsmith. We can all write something, some of us can write stories, and some of those even get published. But the wordsmith? Ah, the wordsmith is the one who wins a Pulitzer Prize. That is a rare talent these days, or at least it rarely blossoms. With such a focus on standardized tests, there is less time for the exploration necessary to learn the power of words.

Enjoy words. Play with them, experiment, explore, write, and rewrite. Get the feel of those little differences that can make a huge impact. Find your voice and use the right word. Become a wordsmith and be great.

The Blessings and Curse of Chronic Illness

It's hard to separate the blessings from the curse of chronic illness. Take one of the biggest - the fact that it's invisible. I mean, people usually don't look at someone and say, "Oh, he has diabetes." Or Addison's. Or lupus. Or any of the others in a growing list of autoimmune diseases. Unless you have a loved one who has one of them or you're well-read on the topic, you probably don't notice the subtle signs that the person is sick. In fact, there's a website with a sister Facebook page called, "But You Don't Look Sick" at butyoudontlooksick.com. Not all chronic illnesses are invisible, of course, but I'm talking about the ones that are.

So, how is this invisibility a blessing? Those of us suffering with this rarely want sympathy, at least not from strangers, and we certainly don't want pity. If you don't know I'm sick, you don't look at me with sad eyes and a halfhearted smile, nor do you look away in embarrassment or discomfort. On good days I can go about my normal life without anyone being the wiser. Nor do you get unsolicited advice. That one drives me crazy. Sometimes when others find out I have lupus, I get all kinds of "information" on diets, procedures, and supplements that will help or even cure me. I even had one person send me a link on using a decompression chamber to treat symptoms.  

And the curse? Friends, acquaintances, employers, and sometimes even family often expect more of you than you can deliver. If you see someone in a wheelchair, you don't expect them to get up walk down the grocery aisle. But with unseen symptoms like pain or fatigue, people forget that you can't do everything you used to, or even that you can do on a good day. Hell, I even had the principal where I used to teach expect me to move my room (okay, the things in it) to a trailer after I told her the day before that I just had shoulder surgery. They're not mean or heartless, it's just hard for them to remember unless you complain. 

But there are clear blessings. I've learned to pace myself, to ask for help, and to be patient. I'm more aware of what my body is trying to tell me than I used to be. I've learned to advocate for myself and for others. I've learned to say "no" (well, sort of), and I've learned to cherish the love and concern of friends and family. 

I could go on forever on this topic, and I may well return to it in the future, but for now I'm guess I'm just trying to raise a little awareness - if anyone reads this. So, if you know someone with a chronic illness, and chances are you do - 45% of Americans suffer from one - remember, don't give them pity or unsolicited advice, just offer them love and support.

Writing Group

I won't always write about writing - that could get dull - but last night was our group meeting and it's on my mind. We call ourselves "The No-name Writers Group" and currently have ten members on our list, but two are temporarily out of town and only three of us have been meeting lately. We got the name because Ralph, our organizer, sent an meeting reminder e-mail with that title and suggested we get a name for ourselves. The three of us who meet every two weeks thought that was a fun name and we should keep it. Writers can be odd ducks, you know.

If you write, I highly recommend joining a group. There are some on-line groups available, but I suggest meeting in person. The interactions and friendships are worth the time. While it's true you can share and critique online, but there is a certain value to reading your work out loud to others. There is also a satisfaction when you see the others react as you read.

If you want to find a local reading group, check with your local library, bookstore, or even a coffee shop. If you know others who write, form your own group. They don't have to be in the same genre. Our group includes writers of science fiction/fantasy, historical novels, lesbian literature, romance, film noir, and cyberpunk. We have a great time with each other and have formed friendships that I hope will last a very long time.

Another aspect of our group is we all tend to be political liberals (at least those of us who meet regularly), so we share opinions and information in that avenue.

I've learned much from my friends about writing, publishing, critiquing, and marketing. I know it's often said that all you need to do to be a writer is to write. This is true, but if you want to be a successful author, you need to share your work.

I hope you  have success in your endeavors, whatever they may be.

Writing is what I do

I'm one of those odd ducks that likes to write. It may be poetry or prose, published or not, but I have a need to capture those wisps of wisdom, clarity, hilarity, beauty, or fear that fly through the landscape that is my mind. Putting them on paper somehow makes them real and certainly gives me time to examine them. I welcome you to do the same. Here we will share thoughts on writing itself: the act of writing, mechanics, grammar, themes, styles, favorite authors, and personal experience.

Try to capture your wisps and share them. Perhaps it's something that has been marinating for a while, or perhaps a post will move you, cause you to explore a new thought, or inspire you to try something new. I encourage you to share this; if not here, somewhere. Ideas are created to be examined, it's how we grow. All I ask is that we keep posts PG and understand that ideas can be criticized, supported, applauded, refuted, refined, or rebuffed. Attacks on contributors are not allowed and will be removed. This is a flame-free zone.

Thank you for sharing with this audience and, when you're looking for something to read, check out my first book, Full Circle, available at Amazon.com either electronically for Kindle or in print.